The auction, should it be required in the case of competing bids, will be delayed similarly to Aug. 10, at 2 p.m. The final hearing to approve the sale will remain as scheduled on Aug. 12.

As of Friday, Cavco Industries Inc., a manufactured housing and recreational park trailer manufacturer based in Phoenix, Ariz., and an investment partner, Third Avenue Trust Value Fund, have submitted the lone bid. The partners have offered $28.9 million for seven Fleetwood plants, trademarks and other assets.

Fleetwood filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 10. It has ceased travel trailer production and has already spun off most of its motorhome business to American Industrial Partners.

During an investors’ conference call last week, Cavco President and CEO Joe Stegmayer explained Cavco’s reasoning behind bringing in a partner to make the Fleetwood purchase. Each party would own 50% of the Fleetwood housing business. He called it “a prudent approach” and a way to conserve the company’s cash in these difficult times.

Despite recording a $1.5 million loss for the most recent quarter on sales of $13.6 million, Cavco is in “a strong financial condition” and has no long-term debt, he said.

“We want to preserve capital and have it available to inventory finance our distributors,” he said. “We have to be prepared for it (downturn) to continue for some time. This provides the opportunity to leave our balance sheet in a very pristine condition.”

All seven of the Fleetwood plants are operating but at a low level of utilization, he said. On average, each plant has the capacity to produce about 1,000 homes a year, he estimated. Cavco’s plants are operating at a 25% utilization rate, he added.

If successful, Cavco would take over the Fleetwood business “in a fairly short order” as it is Fleetwood’s intent to make a “fast transfer of assets,” Stegmayer during the onference call. The Fleetwood name would be retained.

If the Cavco/Third Avenue bid fails, Cavco has other options, Stegmayer continued in answer to one investor’s question. “We don’t feel we need to do anything immediately, but we have looked at other projects,” he said.

When first announcing its offer on June 30, Stegmayer noted, “The Fleetwood brand is one of the strongest in the industry, and we are excited to have this opportunity to integrate Fleetwood’s strong family of product offerings with our own growing business.”

Third Avenue Management, the investment adviser to Third Avenue Value Fund, is a New York-based company with expertise in value and distressed investing. Third Avenue Management manages approximately $13 billion of assets for private and institutional clients. Most or all of Third Avenue’s proposed purchase will be made by Third Avenue Value Fund, the company’s flagship mutual fund.

Cavco and Third Avenue’s $28.9 million “stalking horse” bid is subject to execution of a definitive acquisition agreement (with customary conditions to closing) and bankruptcy court approval. The purchase price is subject to adjustment for the assumption of certain warranty liabilities and other customary post-closing adjustments.

The proposed purchase does not include the company’s operating plants in Alma, Ga., Elizabethtown, Pa. and Garrett, Ind. The facilities included in the proposed purchase currently employ more than 700 people in seven states.